Frank SuoOrganising the Dublin City Chinese New Year Festival
Western people have a profound dislike of rats but in Chinese culture they are revered, and if you're lucky enough to be born in the Year of the Rat (which starts the 12-year lunar rotation in the Chinese Zodiac) tradition has it that you will be charming, wealthy and attractive to the opposite sex. It's not surprising, then, that the start of the Year of the Rat (Thursday 7th) is an occasion for considerable celebration for the Chinese community in Ireland.
Frank Suo is editor of the Shining Emerald (a weekly Chinese language newspaper produced in Dublin) and one of the organisers of the Dublin City Chinese New Year Festival, which commences this weekend. The festival lasts for 10 days and includes events at Dublin Zoo and the Irish Writers' Centre; table-tennis and badminton tournaments; lion dances at various locations around Dublin and spectacular Chinese carnivals in Smithfield Square.
"The Chinese New Year is as important to us as Christmas is for the Irish," says Suo. "It's the most celebrated festival that we have. To have Dublin City Council involved in setting it up makes us feel very much at home. Successful immigration is a two-way process - the immigrants must get involved in Irish society and culture but also the Irish must try to accept and understand the unique cultures of the ethnic communities."
Suo has been living in Ireland for seven years and has seen the Chinese community here thrive in that time. "The Chinese community consists of two main groups," he explains. "The original Chinese came here in the 1960s, were mainly from Hong Kong and were almost all in the catering business. Their children were born in Ireland and consider themselves Irish. The second group is the Chinese that came here in the late 1990s when the economy was booming. A lot of them were students and many decided to stay on when they graduated. Some of them got jobs in the big IT companies, others set up businesses in Parnell Street and Capel Street. The Chinese community is the most successful ethnic grouping in Ireland, and from conversations with Irish people I think they see us as a dedicated and hard-working group."
The Year of the Rat will see China host the Games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing, a matter of considerable pride to the Chinese living here.
"The economic growth in China has given us more confidence, and a successfully organised Games will be a great example for us to feel we are a world power once again. The Games are really on the agenda now for Chinese people. They are talking about it on the streets. Honestly I think that most Chinese here want to go back for the Games but can't afford it." Will he get to attend himself? "I hope so but obviously flights are very expensive and there is a shortage of accommodation. Even for a few days would be nice." Michael Kelly.
Dublin City Chinese New Year Festival runs February 1st-11th. See www.dublin.ie/cny